Melting Ice
by RainDreams
Summary: A series of stories concerning Ryuken Ishida, and Kanae Katagiri. Each chapter is just a short story, none leads off of the other so feel free to skip around.
1. Kanae's death

Heartbreak is something that Ryuken was unacquainted with. He never met it, and never believed that he ever would. He did not think he would ever fall in love. How could he, for so long he was given the impression that he would be forced into a loveless marriage. A marriage between himself, and Masaki. Masaki was not somebody he loved. He didn't hate her, he cared very deeply for her, in fact, and in a way he did love her. But not as a wife, but more as his sister. If nothing else, he loved that he could be the hero that helps continue the breeding of echt quincy.

But children are not meant to be bred. And marriages are not meant to be based upon a sibling-like love. Marriage is meant to be concerning true love, love that makes your stomach rock and puts you in a paralyzing fear that you might puke on the person you want to puke on the very least out of all your options. A love that engulfs your heart in bittersweet pain, like eating too much chocolate. Love like that, is what marriage should be based on. Love that makes you wonder, "Is it worth the pain?" It always is though.

Ryuken had found this love.

He found it in the most unlikely of women too. She was a maid, his maid; he had known her as long as he could remember. Since the both of them were kids, she was there. She never judged him, always supported him, comforted him, and did as she was told. It was the simplicity of her personality that he fell in love with.

How odd is that? She was quiet, calm, warm, and soft. Such a simple yet beautiful combination of traits in a woman. And he loved them. He loved how much respect she showed him, even when he was being cold hearted. How she never got angry with him, even when she had every right to be. How she knew him better than he knew himself, but still chose to care about him. And love him.

And now heartbreak had struck him.

It wasn't the kind of heartbreak that could be cured through replacing her with someone new. No, this was his wife. Kanae, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He dark eyes glittered in the sun light, and her ebony hair was like midnight. In a way, she was like a real snow white, loving, kind, and almost perfect.

But she was weak. She had always been so weak. Just doing daily activities, poor Kanae would be struck with fatigue, and depending on the situation, a fever. Sometimes even worse. She had been in and out of hospitals for a very long time. She used to be strong, able to fight off hollows, do daily tasks, just like any other person. But when she had become pregnant with her darling Uryu, it had strained her body terribly. And she was never strong like she had been again. She was frail on a day to day basis. This was why Ryuken became a doctor.

He wanted to help her. To keep her healthy and alive until it was time for both of them to die. He wanted them to grow old and grouchy together, to always be there for each other, to always love each other and to never separate. He had slaved away in medical school for this very purpose. So that she would always be his, so that they could raise Uryu together, so that they could become old hags, grandparents, great grandparents, and then die together, not having to suffer even a day apart.

He could have done it too. He could have kept her there with him. Kept her breathing and alive for him and Uryu. But she had to be a gemischt quincy. A quincy that was frowned upon. Impure. Ridiculous. Since when were humans to be bred? She died because to many of the echt; she was no more than a mutt. To Ryuken however, she was his world. He needed her. He was not the best father, but by her guidance he could be decent.

And now, he was in a hospital room. His poor sweet wife… Why her? It was such a typical question. But why did the most deserving person of life, have to be so frail? She had collapsed three months ago, and he had not heard her beautiful voice since. A coma. Her very energy was being slowly drained from her already weak body, and she had been slipping away, for longer than he had realized.

But now, his heart was battered into small pieces like broken glass. Slicing through his emotions, through all the happiness that he had, and leaving him like a confused little boy, wondering, where did he go wrong?

She was dead, as confirmed by the long line of lifelessness on the EKG that groaned the painful chorus of one drawn-out, death-indicating beep. And there was nothing he could do.

Uryu was standing in front of her lifeless body, his eyes wide and struck with pain. He didn't move though. The bond he shared with his mother was strong; he gravitated toward her and loved her as much as he possibly could. She was his best friend in a way, the only person that understood him, and loved him whole-heartedly. And now he was watching his father, strict and somewhat rigid, gripping the metal sides of the hospital bed.

Why did he look angry?

It was because he was angry. Not at Kanae or Uryu or even the person responsible for her ruthless murder. But at himself. He just watched her die, just let her die, and saw her unconscious, trying to fight, trying to stay alive for him and their son, and now, she was dead.

He screamed a scream that swore throughout the entire hospital, pain echoed the halls, and death walked forward with her soul, and mocked him with a sore throat. He glared at the beeping EKG.

"Shut up!" He shouted, slamming it to the ground and destroying the equipment. His eyes held an emotion that his petrified son could not recognize. He was angry. He was torn apart. He was scared. He was confused. But most of all; he was heartbroken.

That was the day when Ryuken gave up his title as a quincy, and banned his son from ever practicing to be one. It was a ruthless race that killed its own kind.

That killed his sweet and beautiful, Kanae…


	2. Ryuuken's proposal

He had originally planned to do it in a more romantic way. To make a huge public display of his affection, something that Ryuuken never did. Kanae would like that, he thought. If he were more open like that when proposing, wouldn't that be something a beautiful woman like herself would be impressed by? He had to impress her. But he knew her well enough to be perfectly aware that the size of the diamond wouldn't matter. In fact, all of her jewelry was very simple. She didn't like big pieces of jewelry. So he got her a ring with a small diamond, her taste memorized like the back of his hand. Her taste was cheap, but even if it weren't he would have matched up to it for her.

She was wearing a long sleeved yellow shirt that fell at her thighs almost like a dress, and white leggings. He loved seeing her out of her uniform; she looked so beautiful in everything. He should take her shopping someday, he thought. She would like that, and he could admire her freely. All of her clothes were secondhand because she was poor… He would treat her to a nice day at the mall soon, he decided. Her hair was so beautiful as well… It was perfectly straight; falling just past her shoulders, and was the color of a perfect midnight sky. He felt like when his fingers were intertwined in her beautiful soft locks, that he could touch the stars if only their lips joined. Everything about her reminded him of the milky way, he felt like he was soaring through the galaxy when they were holding hands, everything was in a different perspective, and the rest of the world could never compare to their love, to her soft skin, to her voice that chimed like a perfect melody in his ears, or to her scent of vanilla.

When he was touching her, he could only want more and more. But he would never ask for it. He was raised to be respectful to women, and this woman deserved respect more than any other. He wanted her to always be his, to be in his arms. She was his sun, just like how Masaki was the Kurosaki sun… Kanae was his. And he wanted to be stuck in her orbit forever.

One hand was holding lovingly onto hers, both in his pocket to keep warm during the Japanese winter, but still close to him. She was always so warm; it was like whenever he touched her, her body radiated the heat and passion of their love. They had a love that even fairy tales could not explain. He wanted to be with her, to need her, to love her, endlessly.

"Ryuu-kun?" She had started calling him that after he promptly told her not to refer to him as master unless his mother was near. Only then so that she didn't lose her job. So she gave him the pet name 'Ryuu-kun' because it was affectionate, and sounded so similar to Ryuuken. He didn't think he would ever like being given a pet name, he was always baffled when Masaki called him 'Ryuu-chan.' Coming from her, it was a closeness that he wished not to have. But the nickname that Kanae had given to him was perfect, and was so perfectly intimate that he always smiled in response.

"Yes?" He asked, squeezing her hand ever so gently.  
"Can we sit a moment? My legs are becoming sore." She said, pointing her free hand over to an empty bench off of the sidewalk, where trees surrounded it from behind since it was sitting just upon the outskirts of the Karakura park.

"O-of course." He said, looking at his watch, wondering how long they were walking for her to get tired. They had started at 5:30, and it was… almost 9 O'clock! "Oh my g

osh, I'm so sorry, Kanae. I didn't realize how long we were walking." He said, walking over to the bench and sitting her down, only then taking his place beside her. "Are you tired? Should we go back?" He asked. To most it probably seemed a little bit too worried or empathetic. But Ryuuken wasn't empathetic at all; he leaned more toward a little bit of awkward sympathy. The only reason he was acting this way, was because of Kanae's frailness. She got tired quick, and sick just the same. So he was careful to her, as if she were a porcelain doll. She was beautiful like one… No… Even more.

She smiled dismissively and shook her head. "No, I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me as much as you do, I'm not that weak. My legs are just a little sore."

Ryuuken nodded, touching the small navy blue box that was in his other coat pocket. He wanted to wait for a perfect moment, where the whole town would stop and think "wow… Those two are really in love…" but he couldn't stop himself. He didn't get down on one knee; the words escaped his lips too impulsively for that.

"Marry me." It sounded like a command almost, a desperate, pleading command. He grabbed both her hands and held them tight up to his chest where she would feel the steady drumming of his lullaby heart. "Please, Kanae… Marry me…" He said again, softer than he had the first time. His face was paralyzed with the fear of rejection, stunned in place, surprised by his own split-second actions. But he didn't regret them. Now he felt like he would throw up if she didn't answer him right away. If she didn't answer him right away with what he hoped to hear.

Kanae didn't say any words at all, not even one. Her expression was equally as shocked, but not baffled, or rejecting. No, just surprised by the impulsive and perfect gesture of love that Ryuuken had just displayed before her. It hadn't gone the way he wanted, but to her, it was perfect. She nodded over and over, one would wonder if her head would run away nodding.

Ryuuken let out the held breath and engulfed her into the most loving hug he had ever before, and joined their lips so that they were sharing a very passionate kiss like how the sun touched the moon and made it shine as well. That's what they were to each other. He was the dark, lonely moon, and without the sun, would be useless. But with the sun, he shined bright during the night, because her glow gave him that opportunity. He slipped the ring on her finger, but never broke that perfectly passionate kiss.


	3. Morning sickness?

_**a/n: I bet you all hate me now T_T I took FOREVERRRRRR~! I'm so sorry, I hope this story is still appealing to people. I decided to make this chapter kinda sad. I dunno, I can't do two cute chapters in a row, my apologese. I will try to make a sweet one next. Maybe their wedding? Hmm... Not sure. But I'll try to even the sad ones with the happy ones. :) love love love~~~! Thanks for reading, please leave a review! I am always so pleased with reviews they make me all like: GAHH! PEOPLE LIKE MAH STORIES! ...But yeah, reviews encourage me to continue in my writings. XD thank you, and I hope that this chapter pleases you~!**_

Ryuken was stressed to say the least; finals were approaching for his classes in medical school, and he was studying his peace of mind out the door. That wasn't the only thing that was stressful either, ever since he married Kanae, she had been very sick. In fact, as he was reading his thick pathophysiology textbook, he could hear her petite feet sprinting down the hall. He frowned and stood from his desk, finding her in the restroom, curled over the toilet and losing her stomach to it.

Ryuken's already stress ridden face frowned even more deeply as he knelt by her side, and held her soft beautiful hair from her face, while trying to soothe her in rubbing her back. She flushed the toilet, and leaned back on him. She hadn't been sleeping well, and had dark circles under her eyes. Ryuken was growing continually worried about her, not knowing what to do to keep his beautiful wife as healthy as can be.

"I'm going to make you an appointment at the hospital tomorrow." He said alas, grabbing a cloth and wiping her face lovingly.

She stared at him with her dark dazed eyes. "I'm okay, morning sickness is normal…" She said, almost too quietly for poor Ryuken to hear.

But he did, and his eyes widened to the size of saucers. "M-m-morning sickness? You can't have that… Morning sickness is what p-pregnant women get."

Kanae nodded. "I know that. I have morning sickness." She said as she curled up to him so she could listen to his heartbeat. "I was going to tell you at dinner but… I took a test… and that's why I've been so sick." She explained; her skin warm.

If there were a picture of the expression on Ryuken's face in that moment, it could make the front cover of the newspaper. His jaw was gaping wide open as if his life depended on opening his mouth the widest, and his eyes were the widest hazel surprises one might ever find. Kanae just blinked at him with her tired gaze. "Why do I feel like you're surprised?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ryuken's expression slowly began to harden back into that same stoic look as he looked at her. "We'll fix this." He promised, pulling her closer to his chest and tucking her head beneath his chin. "Don't you worry."

Kanae pulled away and looked at him with two upset navy blue eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Kanae, love… Your body can't carry a baby, either one of both of you will die." He said sternly. He loved her, and she had always been in his life. He couldn't lose her, if she died in her pregnancy it would be purely his fault for knocking her up in the first place. He wouldn't live with himself.

"I don't care, I'm trying my hardest."

There was this side of Kanae that was hidden from him for so long until they were married. He always knew she was stubborn to the point of recklessness, but he hadn't had to deal with it as much before they said their vows. Her stubbornness scared him, especially now. She never accepted her own bodily limitations; she just ignored them like they didn't exist, and allowed herself to get sick. This terrified poor Ryuken half to death, he couldn't lose her.

"I'll get a doctor's appointment, and we'll get professional advice… I can't lose you; take better care of yourself…" He said, picking her up in a bridal hold and carrying her to bed then laying her down. "Stay in bed for the rest of today. I'm going to call the doctor's office right now. I'll cook dinner tonight."

She frowned then grabbed onto his hand. "Ryuken..?" She asked softly, looking up to him with sad eyes.

The med school student frowned. He gently squeezed her hand then knelt beside the bed. "Yes, love?" He asked softly, smoothing back her hair and kissing her hand.

"Do you want to be a father? Do you want a baby?" She asked worriedly, looking at him with tearful eyes. She never asked even once, not that she could help getting pregnant. She just wanted to have a child with the man she loved so dearly, and to raise up a little him. Or her. But she didn't want to force fatherhood on him… But even if he said no, not a bone in her body would consider getting rid of the child. She just wanted to know.

"I don't want to lose you, love… Your health… You could…" He trailed off. He couldn't say it.

"Die?" She finished for him, sitting up and hugging him tight. "It's possible… But if I make it, will you be happy to be a father?"

He had to think about it a moment… He had never thought about it honestly, Kanae had never brought it up. But he wouldn't mind it. In fact; teaching a child about the ways of the Quincy sounded nice. Raising a kid up to be chivalrous and kind, well… It didn't sound so bad. So no, he had nothing against becoming a father, or having a child. He would love the child… But he couldn't lose Kanae. "I would be glad.. But love, you have to promise me to be more careful with yourself, okay..? Don't do things that involve too much energy. Keep yourself well, for both you and our child…"

She nodded, she would submit to her bad health just for their child… She would try her hardest to have a healthy baby. "Okay." She was relieved that he was okay with being a father. She had been so scared to ever ask, and now… Now they were having a baby together, and she was thrilled. Very ill and weak, but excited none the less. And Ryuken, well he was worried out of his mind, filled with overwhelming stress and anxiety, was happy to have a child with her as well… He just couldn't bare the thought of ever loosing her.


	4. A Special Day

Ryuken fumbled with his tie, trying to make it straight. His hands were trembling though, so this didn't come with the best of ease to him. Sweat was beginning to bead behind his neck and he kept running his hands anxiously through his hair, making it sloppy. He was a nervous wreck, and he knew it. Luckily, his best man was there to help him out.

"Chill out man, let me fix it." Isshin said, grabbing his tie away and correctly looping it around so that it was straight. "Brush your hair too." He said, handing his friend a cloth so he could pat the sweat from his face. Ryuken did that first, then ran a comb through his hair, then leaned over on the table and rubbed his forehead nervously.

"Man, chill out! What's so scary? Wrong girl?" Isshin asked with a raised eyebrow. "If you have cold feet, I'll explain it. But… You really seem to love that Katagiri chick."

"She's perfect, she's all I could ever ask for." He snapped, not liking the idea of cold feet. No, he had nothing near cold feet. But he was scared. What if Kanae did? What if… What if she changed her mind, and decided she didn't want him anymore? What will his mother think when she sees her former house maid walking down the aisle… They had never bothered to tell who it was he was marrying, they were sure she would try to ruin it. So he decided early on, that his mother would know nothing about it until they had wedding rings and were inseparable.

"Then why are you freaking out?" Isshin asked, plopping down on a chair.

"It doesn't matter." He said back. Ryuken didn't share his thoughts with anybody but Kanae, and even though he and Isshin had worked things over together, he wasn't about to admit his biggest fear out of all of them… What if he wasn't good enough?

Music started playing.

"Come on, we need to get out there." Isshin said, grabbing the groom by his arm and dragging him out. They both stood in their correct spots. The chapel was tiny, with few people there. Only Ryuken's parents, Kanae's parents, and Masaki. Plus one of the old maids that Kanae once worked with, to which his mother was confused. Why on earth would a maid be at his wedding? She was about to find out.

Several nerve wrecked moments passed, though they felt like hours to Ryuken. But finally… finally! The music played, and first Kanae's maid of honor walked out. Masaki. Isshin smiled at his fiancé, who was clad in a pastel pink dress, holding a small bouquet of yellow roses. Then the music changed once she was standing up front. The music was now for the bride, for Ryuken's beautiful Kanae.

She was holding a larger bouquet of yellow roses, and her midnight hair was curled and let down. Her deep blue eyes glittered with happiness, and her cheeks were the most perfect shade of red. Her dress was white, with lace sleeves, and it had a small train. All beneath one embroidered veil, the most beautiful woman that Ryuken had ever seen, walked toward him. Then he remembered: he was marrying this woman. This gorgeous, perfect young girl was his soon to be wife. He would be with her forever and ever, and he wouldn't let anything separate them. It felt like a dream… How on earth, did such a cold insensitive man become so in love and lost in the most caring and empathetic woman on the face of the earth? He didn't deserve her, truly he didn't… But he would never stop trying to.

She was at his side now, her dad had walked her down. He didn't even notice her father by her side. Her father was old and gray, and handed Ryuken her soft little hand. He intertwined their fingers, then turned to face the preacher, who would be giving them their forever that day.

The elderly preacher spoke a short sermon about love and marriage, but neither Ryuken nor Kanae could hear him. They were lost in each other's eyes, in each other's smiles, just like Kanae's soft hand was lost in Ryuken's sticky and sweaty one.

It was time for their vows now. Ryuken was to say his first. "W-what?" He asked in shock, looking to the preacher with wide eyes.

"Your vows." The preacher repeated in a whisper.

"Oh… right, I know. Umm.." He turned back to Kanae, holding a ring and trying to remember the soppy vow that he had memorized and made. What were the words? What did he say? Something about her eyes, right? He couldn't remember. He was at a blank. He would have to wing it.

"Kanae… I love you, so so much… I swear, you're making me lose my mind, but it's the most thrilling experience I could ever ask for… And the most terrifying. I always loved you. When I met you as a little boy, I could only think; _wow… what a beautiful girl._ Somehow I knew that I would fall in love with you. But I didn't think I would get to marry you. I promise, Kanae, I will try and try harder every day of my life to be deserving of such a beautiful, and caring woman like yourself. I will be a warm and sensitive husband, and take care of you. I will be faithful, and never leave your side no matter what happens in our lives. As long as we both shall live." Ryuken fumbled with the ring. He dropped it, and watched it role down the aisle. His eyes widened. Had he just made such a silly mistake? His face flushed red, though luckily, his best man had him covered.

Isshin ripped down the aisle, grabbed the ring, and ran back over to his insanely nervous friend. Putting it in his hand. "Say with this ring, I be wed." He said, knowing he forgot his vows. But in a way, he like his better, it was meaningful and straight from his heart. Not rehearsed.

Ryuken held the golden band tighter this time, and slipped it upon his… his wife's! His wife's fingers! "With this ring, I be wed." He said nervously. Kanae smiled at him lovingly.

Now it was her turn. She was crying. Tears of happiness welled up in her eyes. She smiled and laughed softly at herself, then looked up at him. "Ryuken, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me. You were my first real friend, then you were my first crush, then my first love, and I know that today; you will be my last. I will love you forever, and try to be on time whenever we schedule things from now on." She paused. She actually had been several minutes late to the wedding, luckily it was just pulled out of her get-ready time. "I will try to be less stubborn so that you are allowed a relaxing and love filled life. I will support you in all of your future endeavors. I will be faithful, and never leave your side no matter what happens in our lives. As long as we both shall live." She grabbed the ring, and slipped it on her.. husbands finger. "With this ring I be wed." He said tearfully, smiling so incredibly huge.

The preacher smiled. "You may kiss the bride."

At that, Ryuken didn't hesitate a second, instead pulled her into his arms, and kissed the love of his life. And he knew, that he would get many more of these kisses.


End file.
